To win Justin Schultz, the Oilers will have to guarantee a roster spot, ex-GM Lawton says

What will it take for the Oilers to sign up star defensive prospect Justin Schultz?

No team can offer Schultz, 21, more money than any other squad, just a standard, bonus-packed entry level deal, so it’s going to be a brilliant sales job that will win the day.

Time to load up Taylor Hall, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Jordan Eberle and Nail Yakupov on Daryl Katz’s private jet to make a road trip in late June to ask Schultz how he’d like to join them on the Oilers power play.

Former NHL GM Brian Lawton says that any team that wants this highly-rated, soon-to-be-free agent prospect will have to meet with him in person and guarantee him a roster spot for next season.

“You can rest assured ten teams will guarantee him a spot on their roster,” Lawton told Jason Gregor of the Team 1260. “If you want to compete for these guys you better understand the environment and you better be aggressive. Because there is no time to not be.

“So if you any chance to get a player like this, you’re gonna unfortunately going to be out there on a limb in some uncomfortable positions. Because there are things you don’t want to do like guaranteeing a roster spot to a player who has not played in the league. But guess what? That is the landscape you’re dealing with. If you’re going to sit at home and say, ‘I’m not going to do that,’ that’s great. But you’re not going to get any players either.”

Such a guarantee can’t be enforced by the player or by his agent, Lawton said, but it’s necessary for the GM to have that conversation directly with the player to provide a real assurance. “If the GM gives you his word he’s going to do that, then it’s not good as gold because they can send you down (to the minors) at any time, but you’ll be apt to get more opportunities to play on the team.”

He will be signed by an NHL team with every hope that he’ll be on the roster in 2012-13. And it’s also worth noting in recent summers the Oilers have given roster spots to inferior veteran players, making multi-million bets on Kurtis Foster and Cam Barker.

Those were poor bets. Schultz is a better one. And if you were willing to give NHL contracts to Foster and Barker, what sense would it make to deny such an assurance to Schultz?

The Anaheim Ducks will lose their exclusive rights to negotiate with Schultz on June 24, said reporter Eric Stephens of the Orange County Register to Bob Stauffer on Oilers Now.

After that, Schultz will be able to negotiate with the Edmonton Oilers and other NHL teams, but can’t sign until July 1.

Schultz isn’t expected to sign in Anaheim, Stephens said. “There’s obviously been a stalemate. The Ducks have offered pretty much everything to him, whether it’s wanting to play him after his season ended in Wisconsin, wanting to burn that first year of what would have been a natural, two or three year entry level contract. All but guaranteeing him a spot on the blueline for the coming season as well. And for whatever reason, it’s been the $64,000 question, Justin has basically decided … he’s going to use his option and his right under the current CBA to pursue free agency and talk to a bunch on other teams and there will be many of them that are interested in his services.”

The Ducks will take one last stab at Schultz, Stephens said. “But they’re also resigned to the fact that Justin is looking at other teams, and Edmonton is obviously is one of them.

“There’s certainly a lot of conjecture that he wants to play close to home (Kelowna). His parents are obviously huge Vancouver Canucks fans. Edmonton is certainly very close to there, but there are also other teams, Toronto, you name name them, New York Rangers, possibly Detroit if they lose out on the Ryan Suter sweepstakes.”

Stauffer said he’d gone with Oilers GM Steve Tambellini to see Schultz in a playoff game in Denver.

“He was head and shoulders the best player on the ice,” Stauffer said. “I do think there will be a transition year for him and his second year he will have a huge offensive impact.”

Michael Russo of the Star Tribune also talked to Stauffer about Schultz and noted that it would make some sense for the prospect to sign in Edmonton.

“I think he wants to play in Canada.”

The Oilers also need d-men, Russo said. “If you add a dynamic offensive guy like Justin Schultz playing with those kids, Taylor Hall, Nugent Hokings and Eberle, my god that could be a quality team for many, many years.”

How good is Schultz?

“Schultz to me, other than Ryan Suter, is the top free agent that comes out of July 1.”

Perhaps the Oilers should look at trading for the right to sign Schultz right now, perhaps sending a conditional second round pick to Anaheim pronto.

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